Jesters
Jesters Jesters were one of the Dreadfolk, an intelligent creature from the Dreadlands. They were known for being by far the most mischevious of the Dreadfolk, the least predictable, the least serious and, in many (but not all) cases, the least deadly. They primarily invaded in Osdarth and the Western Desert, and the two most famous Jesters - the Butcher of Ritaki and the Good Doctor - both lived in Osdarth. They also seem to have been the only Dreadfolk besides the Lesser Demons capable of genuine, hominid-like emotion, although they typically only showed this to each other. Jesters were humanoid in shape, and they were one of the two Dreadfolk (along with Lesser Demons) that came in two different sexes. The males stood at approximately 5' 8", and the females at approximately 5' 6". Their skin was very pale and a little wrinkled, and their whole body was gaunt and lean, yet strong despite the apparent lack of muscle. They possessed large, slanted, amber goat-like eyes with rectangular pupils, and bright red hair (often kept long) from underneath which poked two brown antlers, and the males usually possessed a nose far too big for their face. Their ears were long and pointed, which in combination with their slanted eyes has led some to suggest this implies relation to the Elfkin, although it is more likely that this is mere coincidence. Jesters were capable of powerful influence and healing magic, but no other types. However, despite having no combat magic, they could twist their influence or healing magic for the purposes of combat, being able to disorient or discourage attackers long enough for physical attacks to be made, or sending specific body parts into an "ultra-healing" mode that ended up making the immune system attack the body and turning healthy body parts into extremely fast-growing cancerous tumours. However, Jesters generally tried to avoid conflict, and they only fought when they could not run any longer. Although Jesters were actually intelligent and cunning, they were usually perceived as mad and random, a reputation that to some extent they deliberately perpetuated. Many of them spoke in riddles and flowery antiquated language, speaking in strange intonation and often in the third person, and they constantly made jokes about things, even when such jokes were deeply inappropriate or not even funny. They thrived off chaos and so usually sought it out (and created it) wherever they went, ranging in severity from playing silly pranks to rampages of murder and rape. The former type were usually begrudgingly tolerated by the inhabitants of this world, but the latter were invariably hunted and killed. Butcher of Ritaki The Butcher of Ritaki is one of the two most famous Jesters, who lived in the town of Ritaki in Kimato, a part of Osdarth. The Butcher arrived in Ritaki around 67 BC and succeeded in making a religious cult around himself spurred on by influence magic, becoming the de facto ruler of the coastal town of Ritaki, which, while not a large town, was the primary port connecting Kimato (and therefore Estemoria) to Osdarth and Osdaka. The Butcher's presence was known and disliked by the Osdarthian authorities, but they begrudgingly tolerated his presence as in truth he ensured that Ritaki paid its due taxes to Osdarth more regularly than the previous governors did, and his presence kept order in Ritaki. The Butcher was not, as his name might imply, a particularly prolific killer, however when he did have to kill he was very brutal about it, torturing his targets to death and then hanging their mutilated corpses on meat-hooks, and he periodically chopped parts off his victims to eat. Most of his food came from human bodies. The Butcher encountered Emperor Athdus III in his invasion of Kimato, who demanded that the Butcher leave Ritaki forever. The Butcher initially resisted but, after several days, relented and retreated into the wilderness. When the Xaenis swarm invaded Osdarth, rumours spread that the Butcher was fighting back against them, although he was not found until well after they retreated, his broken and headless body surrounded by a huge mound of Xaenis corpses. The Good Doctor The Good Doctor is the other most famous Jester, who lived in the city of Osdarth proper. Much like with the Butcher of Ritaki, the Good Doctor's presence was known by the Osdarthian authorities, but her presence was tolerated much more happily as she used her powers ultimately for good, selling her services as a doctor and providing free healing to the poor - although her various experiments on animals and on dead bodies she found lying around caused a great deal of discomfort amongst good-natured folk. From what has been described of her behaviour from eyewitnesses, she seemed to be the least "Jesterlike" of the Jesters, acting in a relatively normal and sane fashion, although still having a habit of speaking in flowery and antiquated language and taking life in a light-hearted manner. The Good Doctor became something of a mythical or even angel-like figure amongst the Osdarthians, her distinctive brown leather gloves and boots, white coat and hood (with holes through which her antlers poked) and red and gold patterned fox mask in the style of the elaborate Osdarthian masquerade masks (and the black fabric face mask beneath) becoming symbols of salvation. The image of this white hooded, antlered figure with the iconic fox mask stalking the streets at night, looking for needy people to save, became something of a national symbol of Osdarth and still is to this day. This style of dress was soon adopted by the Osdarthian doctors, but they wore plain black masks rather than patterned red and gold ones out of respect. The mask is also often taken up by left-wing activists in Osdarth who claim the Good Doctor to have been some kind of socialist heroine, and it is the symbol of the Osdarthian Socialist Party. The Good Doctor was known to be friends with Raeshu Sintijo, the Kanidintoan hero and martyr of Osdarth, and she is also said to have interacted with Emperor Athdus III at some point or possibly even joined forces with him, although Athdus never recorded this in his diaries. Although the historical record does not make it explicit, it is generally thought that there were two Jesters going by the name of the Good Doctor in Osdarth. The first was seemingly present in Osdarth since time immemorial, but disappeared from the record - and presumably died - around 210 BC. The second appeared in 170 BC, and is assumed to be the daughter of the first. A common folk tale is that the second Good Doctor's mother was the first Good Doctor, but her father was a Dark Elf. There is no way that this can either be conclusively proved or disproved, but the few descriptions of the second Good Doctor's physical appearance suggest there may be some truth to this, as all descriptions mention her being taller, less gaunt and more muscular than other Jesters, and one says that her skin had a very slight purple tinge. The Good Doctor (as in the second one) continued to live until 952 AD, when she was killed by a Putrid One while attempting to heal one of its victims. At least, that is the official story, but rumours of her existence continue to this day... Category:Dreadfolk